Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and Professor of History, Stanford University; Author, The Measure of Civilization

Using a groundbreaking numerical index that compares societies in different times and places, Morris breaks social development into four traits – energy capture per capita, organization, information technology and war-making capacity – and uses archaeological, historical and modern government data to quantify patterns. His conclusions about when and why the West came to dominate are influencing the ongoing scholarly debate.